Sleep effects on memory consolidation in adolescent English vocabulary memorization: investigating links between sleep quality, memory, and mood disturbance

Substantial evidence highlights the critical role of sleep in both memory and mood. Adolescents commonly face sleep deprivation and stress for memory tasks due to academic demands, yet few existing studies explored the effects of sleep on memory and mood for adolescents based on experimental designs. This research has two aims: Study One employed an experimental design with 103 middle school students, comparing the memory in learning English words before and after bedtime. At the same time, usinga self-reported survey, Study Two investigated the effects of sleep quality on both memory consolidation and mood disturbance. The findings revealed that adolescents who completed memory tasks before going to bed had considerably stronger memory consolidation in terms of reaction time and memory recall accuracy rate. Furthermore, this study provides practical insights and methods for English language education and enriches the understanding of emotional disturbances caused by sleep deprivation in educational settings.